John Hickenlooper in 2018 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Corporations:
Fund $10M program to support rural business

But to reinvigorate more of our smaller communities, we need to incentivize companies and rural entrepreneurs, or the urban ones who want to be rural, to take a chance and start a business where they're needed the most.
That's why we just announced a ten-million-dollar Rural Venture Fund to focus equity investment and access to capital in rural parts of the state, similar to what they've done along the front range.

Source: 2018 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 11, 2018

On Corporations:
5-year initiative to support startup businesses

Startup Colorado is a five-year initiative to organize and convene startups around the state.

We're expanding our Blueprint and Rural Jumpstart economic development programs.
Maybe we need to expand the Jumpstart incentive to seven years? We're backstopping loans for rural markets that allow businesses and startups to get more access to capital. Maybe we should do more?

Working closely with business and education leaders, in a public-private partnership, Colorado is igniting an apprenticeship renaissance with Careerwise. We're connecting companies, talent, K-12 schools, community colleges and training centers.
Within a decade we want to see twenty-thousand students per year receiving college credit, developing skills, and learning how business works.

Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018

On Drugs:
National model for marijuana legalization

We were the first state to legalize recreational marijuana while creating a roadmap for other states. By the way--we're not wild about
Washington telling us what's best for us. We expect the federal government will respect the will of Colorado voters.

Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018

On Education:
Increase investment in education by additional $100M

Today, in almost every part of Colorado, zip code still determines your educational outcome. And that determines your economic outcome. This needs to change. We re-convened the Education Leadership Council to build a long-term vision and path forward.
We're pumping an additional one hundred million dollars above enrollment and inflation into our schools this year, and adding ten million dollars to address teacher shortages in rural areas.

Source: 2018 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 11, 2018

On Education:
Schools should focus on skills for future jobs

We need to transition from a degree-based education system to one that also includes skill-based training. Experts tell us over sixty percent of our kids in school today will not get a 4-year degree. Careers and professions by the dozens will be swept
away in the coming decades. But new industries will emerge at an equally frantic rate. We will need not just engineers but huge numbers of technicians and analysts with new sets of skills. We need to get more kids learning skills that matter.

Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018

On Energy & Oil:
Close coal plants: cleaner air AND lower utility bills

The responsibility to be good stewards doesn't only fall on rural parts of the state. It rests with all of us. Xcel has submitted a plan to close two coals plants in Pueblo. This will clean our air and lower costs for consumers--and lead
to greater investments that support twenty-first-century careers. What is it the critics don't like? Is it the cleaner air or the lower utility bills? Clean air matters.

Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018

On Health Care:
ObamaCare not perfect; it has helped but needs improvement

We need our friends in Washington to finally move past the tired fight over the Affordable Care Act. It's not perfect, and we need to strengthen it in lots of ways--but it has helped reduce our uninsured rate by half. 600,000 Coloradans--many from
rural parts of the state--now have coverage who didn't before. It has helped save lives. When we're secure in our health care, we're more likely to take a chance and start a business.

Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018